Quartet, Quintet, Quality
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day one hundred and fifty: ABCs #17 With three members out sick, Will tasks the remaining members with an assignment.


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a second cycle, and then a third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh cycle. Now here's cycle 8!_

_Walking through a bookstore back in december, I saw the series of books by Sue Grafton that go "A is for...," "B is for...," etc, and I got the idea for this set. It will spread over the end of cycle 6, and carry through cycles 7 and 8, to be posted on alternating days. [And by the time we reach the end, Glee will be a week away!!] What I did is I found three words for each letter that would have some significance to Glee, and I built a plot around it. You with me? Okay, here we go..._  
_**17 of 26:** Q is for..._

* * *

**"Quartet, Quintet, Quality"  
Will, New Directions (w/o Mercedes, Puck, Quinn)**

It had started with Mercedes. She'd been feeling out of it one day, and then the next day she'd called in sick. She'd been out two days when Puck was taken out sick as well. That's when they realized it wasn't just contained in Glee Club, that others were out sick, too. As a precaution, Quinn was made to stay home as well.

So now they were three members short, and the spaces they left empty were obvious and they made the remaining nine were slightly lacking in enthusiasm. So, with hopes that he wouldn't lose any others along the way, Will called for them to stand.

"You've got a choice, three trios or a quartet and a quintet. I would recommend option number two, in the event that we should lose any more of you," Will explained nervously. As he looked back to the group, he spotted one hand in the air. "Rachel?"

"Who gets the extra person?"

"Ah," Will nodded. "We'll pick one at random, who will get to choose which quartet to join." Brittany got up and moved off. "Where are you going? Brittany?" She stopped at the sound of her name and looked back.

"I'm getting the hat."

All the names were put in, and Will fished out one card. The group waited, drumming out the wait until Will called out the name.

"Matt." The others congratulated him and he smiled. "So you guys can either pick your own teams or leave that to chance. No one responded. "Right then," he pulled out the cards, making two piles of four. "Okay, first team: Artie, Brittany, Kurt, and Santana." There was a small squeal from the cheerleaders. "So that means team two will be: Rachel, Finn, Mike, and Tina." Matt raised his hand. "And Matt," Will nodded. "Right then, off you go."

The quartet took up office on one side of the room. As they began though, it felt more like two duets. Brittany and Santana sat together, whispering to one another, while Artie and Kurt could do nothing but watch them. The longer that went on though, the more it was clear one of them would have to say something. Kurt looked more likely to lose his patience, which would not do them any good. So Artie took the initiative.

"We need to find a song," he told the girls. They looked over at him. They looked back to one another before turning to sit facing the guys proper.

"Like what?" Santana asked.

"I think we should break from routine, something they wouldn't expect from us," Artie spoke.

"How away-from-routine are we talking?" Santana ventured. Artie smiled… he had an idea.

With the quintet, it was a slow start as well. Rachel looked as though she'd already begun planning things out for a quartet performance, but now, with a fifth member, everything had been thrown out of balance, and needed a moment to recalibrate her plans. This left the others to wonder amongst themselves.

"I don't have to dance, do I? I think we'd do better if I didn't…" Finn pointed out.

"Fine by us," Mike assured him, patting him on the arm. Matt and Tina chuckled. "Matt and I can take care of that," he nodded, Matt joining in. "And Tina too," he looked to her, and she smiled in approval.

"What are we going to do now?" Tina asked. At that, Rachel suddenly looked up, startling them.

They made it to their performance day without having lost or regained anyone along the way. As for who would get to go first, the choice went to their wild card once again. Matt looked to his team, and he announced they'd let the others go first. Artie, Kurt, Santana, and Brittany got up. They moved into place as guitar strummed the opening of their song.

_[A/K] "All the leaves are brown" / [S/B] "All the leaves are brown" / [A/K] "And the sky is gray" / [S/B] "And the sky is gray" / [A/K] "I've been for a walk" / [S/B] "I've been for a walk" / [A/K] "On a winter's day" / [S/B] "On a winter's day" / [A/K] "I'd be safe and warm" / [S/B] "I'd be safe and warm" / [A/K] "If I was in L.A." / [S/B] "If I was in L.A."_

_[A/K] "California dreaming" / [S/B] "California dreaming" / [A/K/S/B] "On such a winter's day"_

Artie moved in front, Kurt behind him with one girl on either side of him, and Artie took the lead.

_[A] "Stopped into a church / I passed along the way" / [A, K/S/B] "Well, I got down on my knees / And I pretend to pray / You know the preacher likes the cold / He knows I'm gonna stay"_

_[A/K] "California dreaming" / [S/B] "California dreaming" / [A/K/S/B] "On such a winter's day"_

Artie moved back to the end of the line, returning them to their boy-girl-boy-girl line up.

_[A/K] "All the leaves are brown" / [S/B] "All the leaves are brown"/ [A/K] "And the sky is gray" / [S/B] "And the sky is gray" / [A/K] "I've been for a walk" / [S/B] "I've been for a walk" / [A/K] "On a winter's day" / [S/B] "On a winter's day" / [A/K] "If I didn't tell her" / [S/B] "If I didn't tell her" / [A/K] "I could leave today" / [S/B] "I could leave today"_

_[A/K] "California dreaming" / [S/B] "California dreaming" / [A/K/S/B] "On such a winter's day" / [A/K] "California dreaming" / [S/B] "California dreaming" / [A/K/S/B] "On such a winter's day" / [A/K] "California dreaming" / [S/B] "California dreaming" / [A/K/S/B] "On such a winter's day"_

After the applause, audience and performers swapped, and the quintet went into position. Rachel began.

_[R] "You don't have to make your mind up / I just wanna take my time with you / If that's alright, it's alright / Oh forgive me if I get too shy but / maybe you're the reason why, love / I'm feelin' butterflies_

_Somethin' bout the look in your eyes / Oooh it just makes me feel so right"_

As they moved into the chorus, Rachel and Tina joined up, with the boys backing them up.

_[R/T, Ma/Mi/F] "When my mind's void / You're my joy / You're the dream when I sleep / And hey I'm for ya yeah I adore ya / you're everything / That I need / And I love how you love me / If I'm made for you / you're made for me / It's too good to be / So tell me what we're gonna do now / Yeah tell me what we're gonna do now / yeah yeah"_

Tina took the next verse, the boys around her, before they carried into the chorus again, as they had before.

_[T] "Funny how my world keeps spinnin' / sometimes you can be so silly / You know just how to make me laugh / Ooh, your skin is so lovely / It moves me when you touch me / I know that you got my back / It feels so safe when you hold me / It's already like you know me"_

_[R/T, Ma/Mi/F] "When my mind's void / You're my joy / You're the dream when I sleep / And hey I'm for ya yeah I adore ya / you're everything that I need / I love how you love me / If I'm made for you / you're made for me / It's too good to be true / So tell me what we're gonna do now"_

Rachel carried on next, before they all went as one going toward the end of the song.

_[R] "Oh right now / See baby I love how you make me smile / Don't leave please stay awhile / Let's make this happen / I don't care how"_

_[R/T, Ma/Mi/F] "When my mind's void / You're my joy / You're my dream / And hey I'm for ya yeah I adore ya / you're everything / And I love how you love me baby / I'm made for you oh / you're made for me_

_Ooh tell me what we're gonna do / Tell me what we're gonna do / Tell me what we're gonna do / Tell me what we're gonna do"_

The second group was applauded as well and, as they left, they came to an agreement.

"When the others get back they need to do a trio," Artie nodded.

THE END


End file.
